Tullow Oil makes Uganda oil, gas discovery

June 24, 2008
Tullow Oil PLC discovered oil and gas within the Ngege-1 exploration well on the northern part of Block 2 in Uganda's Lake Albert Rift basin.

Uchenna Izundu
International Editor

LONDON, June 24 -- Tullow Oil PLC discovered oil and gas within the Ngege-1 exploration well on the northern part of Block 2 in Uganda's Lake Albert Rift basin 41 km northeast of the Taitai-1 discovery well.

The find marks a new deltaic play fairway with high quality reservoir in which Tullow found over 5 m of net oil pay of moveable 30-32° API and dry gas in 9 m of net pay spreading through separate sands. The Victoria Nile Delta play in a new fairway along the axis of the Lake Albert Rift basin is significant because it upgrades several other prospects to be drilled later.

Tullow will not test the well as it wants to assess the results of its other wells after it finishes regional drilling. Ngege-1 reached a TD of 640 m and was drilled some 3 km from the crest of the structure.

Tullow said seismic interpretation indicates further significant potential updip. Logging has been successfully completed and the well suspended as a potential future producer.

The company also will start drilling the Karuka-1 prospect by the end of June. It lies 24 km south of Ngege-1. Karuka-1 is an escarpment fan prospect analogous to the Taitai-1 discovery.

Aidan Heavey, chief executive of Tullow, said, "This is the eleventh well in the basin to encounter hydrocarbons and has extended the range over which oil has been discovered to 150 km."

Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected]